Climate and Environment

ip journal

EU and German efforts fall short in Doha

The EU did more than just about anyone else at the recent UN climate summit in Doha to make progress on an array of issues that could slow global warming. But this praise is consciously faint. The meager steps forward in Qatar – like the formulation of a successor treaty to Kyoto – won’t keep global temperatures from rising less than 2 degrees in coming decades or coastal states from being swallowed up by the Pacific.

ip journal

Best practices from the north

The Nordic countries have been at the business of renewable energy longer than Germany – and they have a lot to show for it. In fact, their supplies of renewable energies proportionally surpass those of the Germans' hands down; their energy prices are lower; and most of them export clean energy.

The math is simple: Nearly every study concludes that consumer-oriented energy savings measures pay off. In order to increase energy-saving measures across the country and reduce the up-front cost for individuals, Germany is subsidizing energy consultancy in private households–and considers contributing to the purchase of big-ticket appliances in order to meet its 2020 targets.

The idea of the sea as a common, owned by all, has slowly been supplanted by the reality that the sea belongs to those who use it–mostly for financial gain. Why not give these fishermen ownership rights–and the responsibilities that go with them?